Vertical video prompts for Shorts, Reels, and mobile feeds
Nine-by-sixteen video is read differently than landscape: faces and logos need breathing room, motion should feel intentional in a tall frame, and the first second matters more than ever. This guide focuses on prompt habits that help generators compose for vertical—not just crop horizontal footage.
Say 9:16 and “mobile first” explicitly
Don’t assume the model infers platform. Include vertical aspect ratio, handheld or selfie distance when relevant, and whether text overlays might appear (so it avoids painting critical detail in the extreme top or bottom).
Center subject with safe margins
Ask for the hero subject in the middle third with padding from edges—especially top and bottom where UI overlays appear on phones. Phrases like “subject centered with safe margins for vertical crop” reduce chopped faces and clipped captions.
Design the hook for second zero
Short-form feeds reward instant clarity. One strong visual change or recognizable motion in the opening beat helps: a sudden camera push, a door opening to reveal the scene, or a close reaction. Describe that beat explicitly in the prompt.
Favor readable motion over clutter
Busy backgrounds read noisier on a narrow canvas. Prefer one focal layer plus subtle environment motion—wind, bokeh lights, slow crowd drift—rather than many competing subjects.
Match audio to vertical context
If your pipeline outputs synced sound, mention voice-forward mix for talking-head styles, or punchy rhythm for trend-style cuts. That nudges lip-sync and ambience toward what performs on Shorts/Reels.
Cross-link aspect ratio with your main prompt workflow
Once a vertical recipe works, reuse its opening clause across iterations—same lighting DNA, same lens feel—and only tweak one variable at a time when refining.
Related guides
- Prompt guide: Text, Image & Reference
Text prompts, frame-based Image mode, reference-guided generation—aligned with Auto/16:9/9:16, Fast or Quality, and 720p–4k in the generator.
- Common AI video prompt mistakes
Fix contradictory wording, vague subjects, and overloaded prompts before you burn credits.
Generate video from your prompts
Use Veo4 Studio to turn structured prompts into HD clips with realistic audio.